Improving Your Eyes’ Health Takes More than Eating Carrots

June 14, 2012

Improving your diet doesn’t just help you lower your blood pressure and cholesterol or help you lose weight. It can also be a vital way to improve the health of your eyes.

How many times has someone told you to “just eat your carrots” if you want to have healthier eyes? If your answer is “countless,” you’re not alone. But we all know it takes more than eating carrots to better your vision. Here are some suggestions on how you can not only make your eyes healthier, but the rest of you, too.

Omega-3s are an essential fatty acid, which means they can’t be synthesized by the human body, so eating foods containing omega-3 fatty acids is crucial. These fatty acids have been shown to benefit the eye’s macula, which is your eyes’ natural sunscreen. Foods like eggs and fish contain high amounts of omega-3s, and while you don’t have to eat them every day, be sure to include them in your diet.

It’s summertime, so it’s salad-eating season, which is good because leafy greens contain a pigment found in lutein and zeazanthin that helps improve your eyes’ health. Foods high in antioxidants like peppers, tomatoes, and yes, even carrots are also excellent for your eyes.

Other ways to improve the health of your eyes is by taking your vitamins. There are a lot vitamins and minerals that our bodies do not produce on their own, meaning we have to do the work for them. Adding supplements to an already healthy diet will work wonders for your vision and your body.

And don’t forget to exercise and wear your sunglasses. Your eyes are similar to your skin, if you don’t protect it from dangerous ultraviolet rays, you could damage them. There’s no sense in putting more strain than is necessary on your eyes. Be smart out there and protect your eyes … you need them.

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Dr. Baseem Wahab is the lead optometrist and owner of SEEN Vision Care, located in Dearborn, MI. He is also the president of Mobile Eye Care and Eyes on You Image and Practice Consultants, an organization that has a 100 percent track record for improving the efficiency of every eye care practice it has consulted for.